CATHY MILLER HARDY, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Docket No. 17013-95.
UNITED STATES TAX COURT
Filed February 25, 1997.
T.C. Memo. 1997-97
CHIECHI, Judge
Wendy S. Harris, for respondent.
MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION
CHIECHI, Judge: Respondent determined the following deficiencies in, and additions to, petitioner‘s Federal income tax:
| Year | Deficiency | Additions to Tax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sec. 6651(a)(1)1 | Sec. 6654(a) | ||
| 1981 | $10,369 | $2,592 | $794 |
| 1982 | 10,090 | 2,523 | 982 |
| 1983 | 9,580 | 2,395 | 586 |
| 1984 | 2,064 | 516 | 130 |
| 1985 | 2,059 | 515 | 118 |
| 1986 | 2,245 | 561 | 100 |
On brief, respondent asks the Court to find the following deficiencies in, and additions to, petitioner‘s Federal income tax:2
| Year | Deficiency | Additions to Tax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sec. 6651(a)(1) | Sec. 6654(a) | ||
| 1983 | $5,277 | $641 | $114 |
| 1984 | 1,331 | 100 | 3 |
| 1985 | 2,059 | 515 | 118 |
| 1986 | 1,8373 | -- | -- |
The issues remaining for decision are:4
(1) Does petitioner have unreported income for 1983, 1984, and 1985? We hold that she does. - (2) Is petitioner liable for 1983, 1984, and 1985 for the addition to tax for failure to file a return under
section 6651(a)(1) ? We hold that she is. - (3) Is petitioner liable for 1983, 1984, and 1985 for the addition to tax for failure to pay estimated tax under
section 6654(a) ? We hold that she is.
FINDINGS OF FACT5
Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found.
Petitioner resided in Golconda, Nevada, at the time the petition was filed.
Petitioner did not file a Federal income tax return (return) for the years at issue, nor did she at anytime make an attempt to determine whether she was required to file a return for any of those years.
Petitioner, who is part German and part Native American and who was raised in the Shoshone Indian culture, has a high school education. She has been married to Ray Hardy (Mr. Hardy) since
Mr. Hardy was employed in the construction industry in positions where he was responsible for operating machinery such as cranes, loaders, and bulldozers. Petitioner, who worked part-time, was aware that Mr. Hardy was employed in the construction industry.
The following items and amounts of income were, and were reported to respondent as having been, paid to and/or earned by Mr. Hardy:
| 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wages | $47,840.38 | $18,963.00 | $44,233.00 |
| Unemployment Compensation | -- | 3,318.00 | 632.00 |
| Interest | 424.00 | 705.00 | 139.00 |
Petitioner and Mr. Hardy lived in a trailer house titled in his name that he had purchased at the time they were married. At various periods of time during the years at issue, the following individuals lived with petitioner and Mr. Hardy in their trailer house: (1) Lorena Chessmore, petitioner‘s daughter from a previous marriage, (2) Duncan, petitioner‘s son from a previous marriage, (3) Ray Donald Hardy, Mr. Hardy‘s son from a previous marriage, (4) Jeffrey Hardy, and (5) petitioner‘s parents.
Petitioner and Mr. Hardy did not have any house mortgage, automobile loan, or medical expenses, nor did they give each other any expensive or lavish gifts.
During 1985, petitioner purchased a parcel of land in Golconda, Nevada (Golconda land), on which she made a security deposit of $1,100 and monthly mortgage payments of approximately $300. Petitioner obtained an $11,000 grant from the Shoshone Indians that was used to buy the building materials that she and Mr. Hardy utilized around 1985 to build a house on the Golconda land.
At no time during the years at issue or at any other relevant time did petitioner and Mr. Hardy enter into a written agreement to keep their respective property separate and not subject to the community property law of the State of Nevada.
OPINION
Unreported Income
Respondent determined in the notice of deficiency (notice), inter alia, (1) that petitioner has unreported income for 1983 based on Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and (2) that petitioner has unreported income for 1984 and 1985 based upon one-half of the community income paid to and/or earned by Mr. Hardy during those years. Respondent concedes that petitioner does not have unreported income for 1983 based on BLS; however, she contends that petitioner has unreported income for that year based on one-half of the community income paid to and/or earned by Mr. Hardy during that year.
Since respondent‘s position with respect to petitioner‘s unreported income for the years at issue rests on the application of the community property law of the State of Nevada where petitioner and Mr. Hardy resided at all relevant times, we shall first discuss that law. See United States v. Mitchell, 403 U.S. 190, 197 (1971). Pursuant to Nevada law, community property generally is any property acquired after marriage by either spouse or by both spouses.
Spouses who are domiciled in a community property State like Nevada generally are required to report and pay tax on one-half of their community income, United States v. Mitchell, supra at 196, regardless whether they actually receive that income, Furgatch v. Commissioner, 74 T.C. 1205, 1209 (1980).6
We will sustain respondent‘s position with respect to petitioner‘s unreported income for the years at issue if: (1) Mr. Hardy has income for the years at issue; (2) the presumption under Nevada law that that income is community income is not
Before focusing on the foregoing matters, we shall address petitioner‘s contention, which respondent disputes, that respondent has the burden of proving that Mr. Hardy has income for the years at issue.7
We conclude that respondent has the burden of proving that Mr. Hardy has income for 1983, a new matter that respondent did not determine in the notice,8 see Rule 142(a), and that petitioner has the burden of proving error in respondent‘s determinations in the notice that Mr. Hardy has income for 1984 and 1985,
We find all of petitioner‘s arguments regarding who has the burden of proof to be without merit. For example, petitioner contends that the notice is arbitrary. The only argument that petitioner advances in support of that contention is that respondent‘s concession of certain determinations in the notice renders the notice arbitrary as to the remaining determinations therein. We reject that contention. See United States Holding Co. v. Commissioner, 44 T.C. 323, 328 (1965). We also reject petitioner‘s contention that, in an unreported income case such as the instant case, the burden of proof shifts to respondent merely because, if it does not, petitioner would be required to prove a negative. See Rule 142(a); Rapp v. Commissioner, 774 F.2d 932, 935 (9th Cir. 1985), affg. an Order of this Court.10
The Income Allegedly Paid to and/or Earned by Mr. Hardy During the Years at Issue
Respondent has presented evidence establishing that during
In her answering brief filed on August 26, 1996, petitioner contends that, pursuant to
In any court proceeding, if a taxpayer asserts a reasonable dispute with respect to any item of income reported on an information return filed with the Secretary under subpart B or C of part III of subchapter A of chapter 61 by a third party and the taxpayer has fully cooperated with the Secretary (including providing, within a reasonable period of time, access to and inspection of all witnesses, information, and documents within the control of the taxpayer as reasonably requested by the Secretary), the Secretary shall have the burden of producing reasonable and probative information concerning such deficiency in addition to such information return.
That section became effective on the date of its enactment, which was July 30, 1996.
Assuming arguendo that
On the record before us, we find that during 1983, 1984, and 1985 income of $48,264.38, $22,986,14 and $45,004, respectively, was paid to and/or earned by Mr. Hardy. Although we have found that during 1985 income of $45,004 was paid to and/or earned by Mr. Hardy, respondent‘s determination of the deficiency for 1985 (viz., $2,059) was based upon one-half of only $29,684 of community income of Mr. Hardy. Respondent does not claim a deficiency for 1985 in an amount greater than that determined in the notice. Accordingly, we conclude that respondent is not claiming that Mr.
Alleged Oral Agreement Between Petitioner and Mr. Hardy
Although petitioner does not dispute that any income that was paid to and/or earned by Mr. Hardy during the years at issue is presumed to be community income under Nevada‘s community property law, she contends that (1) at the time of her marriage to Mr. Hardy, she and Mr. Hardy entered into an oral agreement to keep their respective property separate, and (2) accordingly, the income that was paid to and/or earned by Mr. Hardy during those years is not community income. Respondent disputes the existence of such an oral agreement. Respondent further maintains that, even assuming arguendo that petitioner and Mr. Hardy had entered into such an agreement, income paid to and/or earned by Mr. Hardy during the years at issue would nonetheless constitute community income for Federal income tax purposes because, under Nevada law, an agreement between spouses to keep their respective property separate is not effective against a third party, such as respondent, unless it is in writing and is recorded.
Based on the record before us, we conclude that petitioner has not, as required by Nevada law, rebutted by clear and convincing evidence the presumption under that law that the income paid to and/or earned by Mr. Hardy during 1983, 1984, and 1985 is community income. On that record, we sustain respondent‘s position that such income is community income.
Section 66(b) and (c)
Petitioner contends that, assuming arguendo that the income paid to and/or earned by Mr. Hardy during the years at issue constitutes community income,
(b) SECRETARY MAY DISREGARD COMMUNITY PROPERTY LAWS WHERE SPOUSE NOT NOTIFIED OF COMMUNITY INCOME.--The Secretary may disallow the benefits of any community property law to any taxpayer with respect to any income if such taxpayer acted as if solely entitled to such income and failed to notify the taxpayer‘s spouse before the due date (including extensions) for filing the return for the taxable year in which the income was derived of the nature and amount of such income.
(c) SPOUSE RELIEVED OF LIABILITY IN CERTAIN OTHER CASES.--Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, if--
- (1) an individual does not file a joint return for any taxable year,
- (2) such individual does not include in gross income for such taxable year an item of community income properly includible therein which, in accordance with the rules contained in
section 879(a) , would be treated as the income of the other spouse,- (3) the individual establishes that he or she did not know of, and had no reason to know of, such item of community income, and
- (4) taking into account all facts and circumstances, it is inequitable to include such item of community income in such individual‘s gross income,
then, for purposes of this title, such item of community income shall be included in the gross income of the other spouse (and not in the gross income of the individual).
As for petitioner‘s reliance on
As for petitioner‘s reliance on
With respect to the requirement in
Although petitioner claims that she was not aware of the exact amount of the income that was paid to and/or earned by Mr. Hardy during the years at issue, “a spouse‘s unawareness of the exact amount of an item of community income is not determinative of
With respect to the requirement in
Based on our review of the entire record in the instant case, we find that neither
Additions to Tax
Section 6651(a)(1)
Respondent determined that petitioner is liable for each of the years at issue for the addition to tax under
Although petitioner‘s position is not altogether clear, she appears to contend that her failure to file a return was due to reasonable cause, and not willful neglect, because she did not know, and Mr. Hardy never informed her, that she had to report and pay tax on a portion of the income that was paid to and/or earned by him during the years at issue.
On the instant record, we reject petitioner‘s contention. Petitioner was aware that Mr. Hardy was employed in the construction industry during the years at issue, and Mr. Hardy used at
On the record before us, we find that petitioner‘s failure to file returns for the years at issue was not due to reasonable cause. Accordingly, we sustain respondent‘s determinations, as reduced on brief by respondent, imposing the addition to tax under
Section 6654(a)
Respondent determined that petitioner is liable for each of the years at issue for the addition to tax under
On the record before us, we sustain respondent‘s determina-
To reflect the foregoing and the concessions of the parties,
Decision will be entered
under Rule 155.
